Totalitarian principle
Encyclopedia
In quantum mechanics
, Gell-Mann's Totalitarian Principle states: "Everything not forbidden is compulsory." Physicist
Murray Gell-Mann
borrowed this expression from T.H. White's "The Once and Future King
" to describe the state of particle physics
around the time he was creating the Eightfold Way
, a precursor to the quark
-model of hadron
s.
The statement is in reference to a surprising feature of particle
interactions: that any interaction which is not forbidden by a small number of simple conservation laws is not only allowed, but must be included in the sum over all "paths" which contribute to the outcome of the interaction. Hence if it isn't forbidden, there is some probability amplitude for it to happen.
In any of the Everett-based interpretations of quantum mechanics
, such as Bryce DeWitt
's many-worlds or Gell-Mann's many-histories interpretations, the principle has a more literal meaning: that every possibility at every interaction which is not forbidden by such a conservation law
will actually happen (in some branch of the wavefunction
).
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
, Gell-Mann's Totalitarian Principle states: "Everything not forbidden is compulsory." Physicist
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann is an American physicist and linguist who received the 1969 Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the theory of elementary particles...
borrowed this expression from T.H. White's "The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T. H. White. It was first published in 1958 and is mostly a composite of earlier works written in a period between 1938 and 1941....
" to describe the state of particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
around the time he was creating the Eightfold Way
Eightfold way (physics)
In physics, the Eightfold Way is a term coined by American physicist Murray Gell-Mann for a theory organizing subatomic baryons and mesons into octets...
, a precursor to the quark
Quark
A quark is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei. Due to a phenomenon known as color confinement, quarks are never directly...
-model of hadron
Hadron
In particle physics, a hadron is a composite particle made of quarks held together by the strong force...
s.
The statement is in reference to a surprising feature of particle
Elementary particle
In particle physics, an elementary particle or fundamental particle is a particle not known to have substructure; that is, it is not known to be made up of smaller particles. If an elementary particle truly has no substructure, then it is one of the basic building blocks of the universe from which...
interactions: that any interaction which is not forbidden by a small number of simple conservation laws is not only allowed, but must be included in the sum over all "paths" which contribute to the outcome of the interaction. Hence if it isn't forbidden, there is some probability amplitude for it to happen.
In any of the Everett-based interpretations of quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
, such as Bryce DeWitt
Bryce DeWitt
Bryce Seligman DeWitt was a theoretical physicist renowned for advancing gravity and field theories.-Biography:...
's many-worlds or Gell-Mann's many-histories interpretations, the principle has a more literal meaning: that every possibility at every interaction which is not forbidden by such a conservation law
Conservation law
In physics, a conservation law states that a particular measurable property of an isolated physical system does not change as the system evolves....
will actually happen (in some branch of the wavefunction
Wavefunction
Not to be confused with the related concept of the Wave equationA wave function or wavefunction is a probability amplitude in quantum mechanics describing the quantum state of a particle and how it behaves. Typically, its values are complex numbers and, for a single particle, it is a function of...
).
See also
- Everything which is not forbidden is allowedEverything which is not forbidden is allowedEverything which is not forbidden is allowed is a constitutional principle of English law — an essential freedom of the ordinary citizen. The converse principle — everything which is not allowed is forbidden — applies to public authorities, whose actions are limited to the powers...